Lost cam
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 41
Likes: 14
From: NC
Lost cam
I lost my cam at start up it is a very mild 383 with a L82 cam so now do I try flush engine in car or do I remove the motor for a complete tear down. I hope I can flush it in the car. All my work for the last month down the drain.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,062
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Unless the cam bearings are coppered bad/oil pressure low change the cam. Guess you can flush it?
take the manifold off , drain plug out and dump some diesel in there. Turning the oil pump may/may not help
Not saying its the milliionaire solution but done changed bad ones plenty of times w/no flushing it ran for years.
take the manifold off , drain plug out and dump some diesel in there. Turning the oil pump may/may not help
Not saying its the milliionaire solution but done changed bad ones plenty of times w/no flushing it ran for years.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,458
Likes: 1,484
From: Little Rock AR
Sorry to hear about the cam. I would make sure to use an oil filter mount that has the bypass valve blocked and an oil filter without a bypass at least for the first and second oil change. Easy and cheap protection. If you really want to keep the oil filter bypass function, you can easily swap it out for a stock oil filter mount later. Just 2 bolts.
Dr. Detroit
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 10,095
Likes: 4,022
From: New Braunfels Texas
This has come up quite a few times over the years but I have put new cams in after wiping a lobe and just drained the oil and changed the filter.
Now if it concerns you.....pull the pan and check rod/main bearings......
But the metal will HAVE to get sucked up through the oil pump and get pushed through the oiling system for it to do damage. It is possible but in experience not likely.
If you do pull the pan.....pull the oil pump and disassemble it first.....if it has BAD scoring on the gears then check your bearings......
After you put it back together.....stick a Rare Earth magnet on the bottom of the pan.....this will pull small metal particles toward it in the future...anything residual.
Jebby
Now if it concerns you.....pull the pan and check rod/main bearings......
But the metal will HAVE to get sucked up through the oil pump and get pushed through the oiling system for it to do damage. It is possible but in experience not likely.
If you do pull the pan.....pull the oil pump and disassemble it first.....if it has BAD scoring on the gears then check your bearings......
After you put it back together.....stick a Rare Earth magnet on the bottom of the pan.....this will pull small metal particles toward it in the future...anything residual.
Jebby
Last edited by Jebbysan; Oct 12, 2019 at 12:14 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Is my vette stock?? HAHA
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 20,117
Likes: 9,247
From: Im not allowed to tell you
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
what break in oil did you use?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 41
Likes: 14
From: NC
The springs are stock with 110 seat pressure that is what the cam called for. Half turn pre load. Been building motors for over 30 years and never seen a cam wipe out that fast ,cam company will not stand behind there product they all say you must have done something wrong , easy out for them .
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,062
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
What brand were the cam/lifters? Hard to get anything with quality in FT stuff these days. Usually the lazy ramp stuff has the best chance for survival
Did you take the inner spring/dampner off when you broke them in?
Did you take the inner spring/dampner off when you broke them in?